Editorial: Daniels' fighting words on teachers

Dec. 3, 2012

Mitch Daniels

Gov. Mitch Daniels certainly threw chum in the education reform waters last week when he called out Indiana’s teachers for using illegal tactics when they went after state school Superintendent Tony Bennett.

The role of teachers in the victory of Democrat Glenda Ritz — or more accurately state, the defeat of Bennett — is hardly in doubt.

Teachers could barely contain their contempt for Bennett and for feeling marginalized by reforms he championed. Along the way, those reforms came with rhetoric that could be taken to mean teachers were willing to accept mediocrity. They took that pent-up anger and aimed it at their Facebook pages and at face-to-face talks with parents and friends. The result: A stunning upset.

Speaking before an education reform conference in Washington, D.C., last week, Daniels took on teachers in a new way, accusing them of campaigning on school time. In particular, he questioned the timing of emails sent leading up to election.

“If you’re a fan of anything-goes politics, it was a creative use of illegal — but still creative use — of public resources,” Daniels said. “We got emails sent out on school time by people who were supposed to be teaching someone at the time, all about Tony Bennett.”

Daniels swore off campaigning in June, after he was named as Purdue University’s next president. But of all state elections, Daniels had the biggest stake in Bennett’s race.

Bennett might have been the face of school reform. But he had the backing of Daniels, who recruited Bennett to run four years ago.

Daniels has been keen on telling Hoosiers that Bennett’s defeat was not a call to step back from education reform. When questioned about the subject by a Purdue education major in September, Daniels was square about his view: The reform train has left the station; get ready to find better ways to use it.

Still, last week’s comment was one wild swing from the governor — even if it’s true and he’s ready to prove it. (And ready to take the counter punches.) Right or wrong, teachers showed in November that they know how to handle themselves when they feel threatened. Calling their actions illegal is a good way to rile them again.

Not a smart move for a guy who said he was ready to set partisan politics aside and take the reins at Purdue.